By Austin Kingsley
It’s never over until it’s over.
Sports is full of cliches, including this one. But this old adage is especially true in volleyball, where every new set offers a chance to reset and refocus. Early deficits can be overcome, as 1st Alliance 16 Gold would prove during Sunday’s Triple Crown NIT bracket play.
The Great Lakes Region competitors bring a rich history of national success to NIT. Talent-stacked squads like 16 Gold have helped turn Chicago into one of prep volleyball’s most competitive metros. Such a reputation helped 1st Alliance nab a spot in Triple Crown’s power pools, and 16 Gold has backed up the high expectations that come with that selection.
Saturday’s opening slate was a preview of how resilient this team could be against elite foes. 16 Gold dropped its opening match of the weekend but battled back to a 2-1 mark with wins over Houston Skyline and Arizona Thunder. Both of those triumphs came via three-set decisions that tested 1st Alliance’s resolve. But that was just the beginning.
Pressure mounts on Sunday as the threat of elimination looms. 16 Gold played some of its best volleyball of the weekend en route to a challenge round win over VCNebraska. The left-side hitter tandem of Keira McQuillan and Neda Savic became the focal point of the offense. 1st Alliance setter Tatum Kelly knew when to feed them in crunch time.
Balance still remained a key element of 1st Alliance’s bracket breakthrough. 16 Gold wielded a four-headed monster at middle blocker featuring Addison Clausing, Alyson Cahill, Sommer Shaw, and Madison Finn. Finn effectively operated as a middle-opposite hybrid who could score on either side of the setter. It’s a gnarly assignment for any opposing net defender.
Still, 1st Alliance had to prove that its intangible assets could carry it through adversity. This became apparent in the Round of 16, as Madfrog delivered an opening-set gut punch to the Chicago challengers. 16 Gold had won three-set contests in power pools, but neither of those wins came after Set 1 defeats.
Sunday was for new trends. 1st Alliance forged a massive comeback to topple Madfrog and meet HPSTL in the Sunday finale.
Perhaps you could bill this showdown as the “Battle for I-55.” Regional intrigue intensified as 1st Alliance battled their St. Louis comrades from across the Land of Lincoln. Something had to give.
And, like the match against Madfrog, 1st Alliance would have to rally. HPSTL nabbed a dominant win in Set 1 over 16 Gold. Time for another one of those resets.
Depth is always tested in these high-pressure situations. 16 Gold’s star-studded cast of defensive specialists dug in. Hope Garland anchored the libero jersey, and she had a great supporting crew, too. Ellery Cabaj and Hayden Klimowicz were equally comfortable in the serve-receive pattern, and Angelia Robinson carried a multi-faceted role in that area throughout the weekend.
Stable first contacts yielded terminal results. McQuillan and Savic returned to form and anchored a clutch 25-23 win in Set 2.
That was all the momentum 1st Alliance needed to forge another comeback. With legs surely trembling from so many marathon matches, 16 Gold found a second win in the third set. 1st Alliance never trailed en route to a tiebreaker win to reach Monday’s quarterfinals.
The journey isn’t over, but we already know it’s never over until it’s over.
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